Anybody watch this show? What do you think?
Posted by Raymond Arnold (Member # 11712) on :
Used to watch it. Periodically watch it again. The plot is pretty interesting but the characters aren't.
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
Loved the book it's based on, have reread it a few times. Saw the first 2 episodes of the show, couldn't get interested.
Posted by The Reader (Member # 3636) on :
Yeah, I couldn't handle the show's habit of one plot development point per episode. It got boring pretty quickly. Sorry.
Posted by Bella Bee (Member # 7027) on :
This show was okay for the first few episodes, but seriously lost momentum in the middle - it got far too caught up in the characters who, frankly, weren't that fascinating.
But the last couple episodes have been very, very good - now that we can see where the show is going it's extremely interesting. The story seems to be moving very fast now, in exciting directions, I have no idea what'll happen next, and they just added James Callis, who makes everything he touches excellent, so of course it'll be cancelled pronto.
I think when people watch this on DVD and can flick from one episode to next quickly, they'll appreciate it more.
Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
Brinestone and I watched the first few episodes and quickly lost interest. The first episode was great, and then it almost immediately lost steam and got bogged down in boring people's boring problems. If it's picked up again, maybe we'll give it another shot.
Posted by Mucus (Member # 9735) on :
quote:Originally posted by Bella Bee: This show was okay for the first few episodes, but seriously lost momentum in the middle - it got far too caught up in the characters who, frankly, weren't that fascinating ...
Yep. A shame too, considering the relatively diverse cast.
Posted by Orincoro (Member # 8854) on :
quote:Originally posted by Raymond Arnold: Used to watch it. Periodically watch it again. The plot is pretty interesting but the characters aren't.
I was trying to figure out why I watched the first 8 or so episodes attentively, and then watching it became a real chore. I stopped at that point, but yeah, it was because the characters were boring. Also the constant "the audience are idiots" editing was annoying as well.
Posted by Sean Monahan (Member # 9334) on :
I watch hardly any tv, but I decided to watch this because I'm into sci-fi, and this show seemed to have an interesting premise. I'm still watching it, and I think it's... ok.
I have the book, but I haven't read it yet. I'm debating whether or not to wait until the season is over to start the book.
Posted by Mucus (Member # 9735) on :
The book's plot has only the faintest of similarities with the show. You can start now, it's a good read. (To put it in perspective, there is less than a Blade Runner/Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep similarity but more than a Harsh Realm(tv)/Harsh Realm(comic) similarity)
[ May 02, 2010, 12:17 AM: Message edited by: Mucus ]
Posted by Sean Monahan (Member # 9334) on :
Thanks, Mucus, good to know.
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
For one thing, in the book human consciousness jumps 21 years, not 6 months. Whole different style to the book and you get a better narrative since you don't have to have hidden plots and cliffhangers every chapter (episode) or so to keep viewer interest up.
Posted by Sala (Member # 8980) on :
The show has really picked up steam in the last few episodes. I agree, many of the characters are off-putting, and the soap operaness of it all was getting to me. But I've hung in there and am getting very hopeful for the show, based on these last few episodes. Maybe it'll get better. But, of course, once it gets better it'll probably get cancelled. And it's nice to see James Callis in it.
Posted by Carrie (Member # 394) on :
FlashForward is actually one of my favorite shows currently airing, despite it's obvious (and sometimes quite painful) flaws. I'm far more invested in the overdramatic lives of these people than, say, anyone on "V."
And yes, James Callis brings the awesome wherever he goes. Posted by LargeTuna (Member # 10512) on :
I've managed to have watched about two thirds of all the episodes. Even when I missed 2 weeks in a row it's been easy to pick it back up. I'm not sure if that's good or bad.
But I can't stand the pregnant agent and the guy with the scary beard. When either one is the main focus of the episode I tend to just get frustrated.
But the show has won me over enough that if I'm home on a thursday night I'll watch it. Early on when the one really likable character killed himself I almost gave up on the show, but it dragged me back in.
Posted by Mucus (Member # 9735) on :
quote:Originally posted by Carrie: ... I'm far more invested in the overdramatic lives of these people than, say, anyone on "V."
Oh yes. They've been really blowing the potential richness of the concept. I'm tempted to track down a copy of Earth:Final Conflict to see some aliens subvert the humans.
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
I've been watching Flashforward from the start, particularly since I love the book. It really dragged until "Hello Demitri" from the past. That got me really interested.
What I don't get was in the last ep when Olivia went on investigation to the asylum. Since when does the wife of an FBI agent do that?
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
quote:hidden plots and cliffhangers every chapter (episode) or so to keep viewer interest up.
Such tactics have the opposite effect on me. I'm sick and tired of being jerked around as a viewer.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
*nod* Frankly, I'm rather dismayed that the new Doctor Who series is leaping so rapidly into metaplot.
Posted by Sean Monahan (Member # 9334) on :
So I am reading Flashforward now, and I've found something very interesting. The book was published in 1999, but takes place in 2009. In the book, Robert J Sawyer names the pope of 2009 - Pope Benedict XVI.
Did RJS have his own little flash forward?
Posted by Bella Bee (Member # 7027) on :
Benedict was probably just the most likely name that the next pope would pick (Is there a rule for this, like we've had a Benedict so the next one has to be a Pius, or something? I remember hearing that John Paul was an unexpected choice in honour of the Pope who didn't get much time.)
I liked the way Sawyer was mostly kind of vague about future events, as it drags you out of the story when you're going 'well, that didn't happen, and we don't have those...'
Like the flying cars and AT&T telephone boxes together in Back to the Future are wrong, but Cafe 80s is so accurate.
ETA: Apparently this guy really did see the future of technology, though.
[ May 03, 2010, 05:13 PM: Message edited by: Bella Bee ]
Posted by lem (Member # 6914) on :
My only problem with that article is it says:
quote:Tesla, whose name lives on at Tesla Motors, the electric car manufacturer, saw wireless energy as the only way to make electricity thrive.
Obviously Tesla name is better recognized and lives on because of the Tesla Coils in Red alert!
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
It makes me cry to hear Tesla only being remembered through the car and the coils. That's pathetic. The man invented alternating current. If Edison had won his war against Tesla, everything would still be direct current.
Posted by Orincoro (Member # 8854) on :
Come on Lisa, somebody would have figured that out eventually right? He had more important inventions, like resonance transmission. And anyway, direct current schemes were worked out eventually for long distance transmission, as far as I know, so it was all really just a race to find a billable product that was reliable. Whoever won the race we'd be no better off one way or the other, I think.
Posted by Sean Monahan (Member # 9334) on :
So, I've finished reading Flashforward. Can anyone tell me if RJS's other books are as good?
Posted by Mucus (Member # 9735) on :
In general, yes, although you have to be capable of surviving the Canadian in-jokes and location references.
Flashforward is definitely one of the better ones. For me, personally, I liked The Terminal Experiment and Frameshift very much as well.
My memory is a bit hazy, but I recall enjoying Illegal Alien and Calculating God as well.
Mindscan and the series starting with Hominids were less enjoyable (the latter seemed to be unnecessarily drawn out), but still worth a read (YMMV). I read Factoring Humanity, but the details totally escape me. Time for a re-read, I guess.
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
Calculating God was pretty good. Factoring Humanity... I don't know which was written first, that or Sagan's Contact, but the main plot element is identical in the two, even though what's done with it is entirely different.
I loved the Hominids trilogy, btw. Sawyer is on my buy-on-sight list. Even when he's less good, he's still better than most writers out there.
Posted by TheBlueShadow (Member # 9718) on :
Nothing to do with Flash Forward, but I named my cat Tesla.
I think there's still interest/knowledge of Tesla's work.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
He was the David Bowie impersonator, right?
Posted by Sean Monahan (Member # 9334) on :
It appears Flashforward has been cancelled.
Posted by Christine (Member # 8594) on :
quote:Originally posted by Sean Monahan: It appears Flashforward has been cancelled.
Not surprising. As others have said, it was slow, boring, and the characters weren't all that interesting. I watched about four episodes because the concept was good, but it wasn't worth it. In this case, I honestly don't even think it would have been better to see it back to back on DVD, because the episodes simply weren't enjoyable to watch. Each one had a sort of cliffhanger ending, but that was the only interesting part of each episode.
Posted by Bella Bee (Member # 7027) on :
I hope that they have time to wrap up the story in the last episode like the author suggested they would if the show was cancelled (honestly, it has become a pretty entertaining show in the last few weeks since they dumped a lot of their old writing staff).
And that one day, someone takes the original property and makes a brilliant film out of it. This story was made to be told in 2 hours.
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
Last night's ep was amazing. It's been getting better and better. Shame...
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
quote:Originally posted by Bella Bee: This story was made to be told in 2 hours.
One season to tell something that happens over 6 months, and 2 hours to tell something that happens over 20 years?
Posted by Bella Bee (Member # 7027) on :
Yes, but even the author himself didn't actually tell 20 odd years worth of story. He told a couple of months worth of blackout trauma and then skipped forward. And it's a short book. This would have been a much more fast-paced, exciting way to tell the story.
Not that I haven't enjoyed the show (I'm glad now that I suffered through the middle) but it didn't need six months. That was why the middle sucked - there weren't enough exciting story lines for the amount of time allocated.
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)